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Saturday, September 10, 2011

I have been enjoying my
Smoke Hollow smoker/grill/gas grill since I bought it this summer.
I've used it mostly for grilling because there were a few
modifications I wanted to make to improve the smoker capabilities.

[The thought occurs to me that modifying and fabricating your cooking equipment is pretty specific to grilling/smoking. When is the last time you heard about someone modifying their oven or altering their stand mixer? I think it adds a level of personal involvement in our cooking.]

Issue 1:

Air gaps
between lids of the cooking chamber and fire box. It might not look
that bad, it's only 1/8th inch, right? But considering
the distance around the lid, that is equivalent to having a 10.25
square inch hole in your smoker. This causes heat loss, inconsistent
temperatures, and increased fuel consumption.

Solution: Install a
gasket. I used a Nomex gasket for a Large Big Green Egg.

After installing the
gasket, shut the lids, loosen the hinge screws, align the lid and
re-tighten the screws.

UPDATE:
The seal gasket worked great for use as a smoker but after the third or fourth time of GRILLING instead of smoking, the higher temps loosened the adhesive on the cooking chamber. Another Smoke Hollow owner, Nic, and I were discussing this as it progressed and he used a more successful solution as follows:

It worked really well. I ended up doing the main grill area first then I decided to do the fire box as well. I did this because I turned the grill into a cold smoker to smoke salmon. It worked super well. Keeps the smoke to a nice 75 degrees. The unit holds smoke and heat well now. I used a high temp nomex gasket and used a high temp Rutland gasket sealer (the black one). I cut the gasket in half, sanded the lower part to ruff it up then applied the cement glue. The. I dampened the gasket and stuck it down let it dry for two hours then I fired the grill very hot for an hour ish and it cured great. I also did the jb weld thing which also regulates heat well. The grill does well but for hot smoking it can get a little over heated if not careful. Happy thanks giving
Nic T
Ps
It makes a great cold smoker, just get a flange and some four inch ducting and a old BBQ and a electric coal starter

Issue 2:

Air gaps due to
use of “spot welds” in the construction of the fire box.

All 4 corners need attention.

Yes, that is daylight coming through the corner.

Solution: Seal the air
gaps using JB Weld like caulk. It handles the high temps of the fire
box with ease.

That is JB Weld coming through the seam. No more air gaps.

JB Weld fills the gap and handles the heat.

Issue 3:

Chimney exhaust
allows hot smoking gasses to escape unevenly.

Solution: Extend chimney
down to the level of the cooking grate. This will create even temps
in the cooking area by keeping in the hot cooking gasses until they
even out at the grate level.

I just rolled up some
metal flashing, stuck it into the chimney. The flashing will try to
unroll, holding it in place.

Issue 4:

No charcoal
tray. There tray is meant for split logs only.

Solution: I added a
standard charcoal grate purchased at Lowes.

I did a test burn last
night and the smoker worked noticeably better. There was minimal
leakage and the temps held steady. Today I have been smoking chicken
and have maintained 250f rather easily.

Look Ma.....no leaks!

Don't expect that gasket to stay white for long.....

I did have two of the strips come loose during cooking HOWEVER, one was taken off and reattached during the install and the other I sprayed the adhesive instead of brushing it on. I'll re-clean those two sides and re-do the adhesive properly.

Next Steps: Get a
charcoal basket built for the fire box. Add a 3/8” plate to the
bottom of the fire box to reinforce it and add thermal mass. Get a rain cover so I can keep this out on my deck with my two Big Green Eggs.

Slim fell in love with his uncle's new grill and suggested we get one, but I told him if he looked closely, he'd notice smoke leaking out here and there, practically none made it out the top vent. Not a good thing for a smoker grill. I had no idea you could fix them so simply.

1. Have you experienced any problems with it shrinking? 2. How long is the gasket for the large BGE? I noticed you cut in in half width-wise.

Have you seen that there is now a Nomex gasket with an adhesive backing? No more spraying. Would you recommend this? I am torn between the cheaper Rutland gasket tape or the more expensive Nomex self-adhesive route. I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Thanks.

So we just bought the Smoke Hollow but we're a little weary of putting it together yet. Do you have any advice on whether this grill can be adapted to accomodate a universal rotisserie kit? We would really like to be able to do some rotisserie chickens over the charcoal, but we have concerns about the placement of the holes in relation to the smoke box. Any thoughts or guidance? Thanks!

Just purchased the Smoke Hollow and went through the manufacturer's recommended seasoning of the fire box and smoke box. As I type I am doing a non cooking test burn with lump mesquite and it's been at 250 degrees with all of the dampers closed and chimney too. I am using a oven thermometer to check for accuracy, as the one one the smoker box reads hotter than actual. I'm going to be looking for the gasket. Thanks for the information/pictures/and this venue. I am new to smoking and want to get it right. My wife already hates this "loco-motive" looking smoker (and $$$) in the back yard. If I cant (literally) produce the goods I will be sleeping next to it with the dog. -Bull.

Just purchased the Smoke Hollow and went through the manufacturer's recommended seasoning of the fire box and smoke box. As I type I am doing a non cooking test burn with lump mesquite and it's been at 250 degrees with all of the dampers closed and chimney too. I am using a oven thermometer to check for accuracy, as the one one the smoker box reads hotter than actual. I'm going to be looking for the gasket. Thanks for the information/pictures/and this venue. I am new to smoking and want to get it right. My wife already hates this "loco-motive" looking smoker (and $$$) in the back yard. If I cant (literally) produce the goods I will be sleeping next to it with the dog. -Bull.

Ive got a 7 lb Boston Butt smoke'n as I write this. Thanks for the modification suggestions. Thought I'd share my experiences with my Smoke Hollow Grill which is a great entry level smoker-grill. Since I couldn't drive to the store last night and just pick up some Nomex Gasket, I needed an option for today's cookout. I could drive to my local auto parts store and find Permatex® Ultra Copper® Maximum Temperature RTV Silicone Gasket Maker. It was easy to apply and ready to put into cooking action in the morning. I also made the chimney modification. On another site I found a recommendation for a heat deflector at the firebox entrance into the grilling chamber to create more even heating. BAD IDEA!!! I installed it as pictured but the grill wouldn't achieve more than 150*, once I ripped that deflector out the temp shot up to a more desirable 250* Thanks for the suggestions and this forum! - Frank

Thanks for the great mod. Ideas. If you have not purchased a rain cover, I purchased a snowmobile cover and it fits the grill perfectly. $29.99 at your local Menard's. Has an elastic strap around the bottom and straps with buckles for those nasty winds!

Being a bargin hunter, I made the chimmney exhaust from a 24oz tall boy, cut out the top and bottom and it fits perfectly. As for the cover a heavy duty 8x10 tarp at Wal-Mart is about $10, with a few bungee cords, you can't go wrong. Thanks for the mods. Hope some can use my suggestions.

Not yet. I keep forgetting to call Smoke Hollow. I have been doing all my cooking on the charcoal side. I will keep checking back to see if anyone else has found it, and try to remember to call myself. I will let you know when I do.

So, the Smoke Hollow grills are not made and "certified" for natual gas. The lady told me that you can have a local plumber measure and drill out the proper fittings, and then buy a generic conversion kit.

If anyone has any other ideas or experiences, I wouldn't mind hearing them...

Great info, thank you very much! My only concern with these upgrades was the use of J-B Weld on the inside of the grill. I understand its high heat but I still worried about it releases toxins, etc. So I started looking around for an alternative and found this:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CHOA2VO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

it's food safe and actually rated for higher temps than the J-B Weld. Just thought I would share.

We used the 3M-77 type adhesive but it didn't work great. The best adhesive that I have found is Permatex Copper Gasket maker that you can buy at automotive dealers. I used that to put a gasket on my Green Egg and it has been spectacular.

Has anyone ever tries this? After lining the drip pan with foil (on the gas side) I sprinkled a good layer of charcoal ashes on it to deter critters from lapping up the drippings from last nights BBQ. I haven't actually seen "critters" in there but I hear their droppings POP as I heat up the grill. So I know they've been there and literately scrub the crap out of it while it's preheating. I think I read that ashes works with roaches and hope this works for mice. (the wife freaks out if I call them rats) I wonder if anyone else has tried this.